


Dodging Death

by royaljeno



Category: Monsta X (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Comedy, Death, Grim Reaper - Freeform, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Minor Character Death, Other, Romantic Comedy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-01
Updated: 2017-04-01
Packaged: 2018-10-13 18:19:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,097
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10519218
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/royaljeno/pseuds/royaljeno
Summary: Death's got a new intern, and apparently he's not doing his job right.The death rate has risen drastically, and the Grim Reaper allows Lee Minhyuk to assist him with collecting the souls of the departed.You happen to be one of the most recent deaths, but the rookie decides to spare you.The Grim Reaper himself, however, strongly disagrees with his decision.Death's intern doesn't seem so bad if you didn't evaluate him career wise, but it's hard to to get to know him when the Grim Reaper himself is out to get you.





	1. the in-between

**Author's Note:**

> the identity of the Grim Reaper is to be revealed later, though hints as to who he is have been included. :)

Wisps of smoke proceeded to disperse within the area, the zone in which the earth met with the afterlife. Within moments, the thin puffs began to materialize, forming a being in a cloak  as dark as ebony, hair as red as fresh blood.

Such an individual could only be the Grim Reaper, he with the ability to travel through each zone as he pleases.  The Mortal Zone, in which humans co-existed,  The Eternal Zone, where the souls of the departed resided after death... here was The In-Between, the gap of darkness just before the crossings into the zones.

The Grim Reaper was the only individual to pass through each zone on a daily basis.  
That is, if you didn't consider the new intern he had hired.

Lee Minhyuk was new to the job, a rookie to his role with experience less than a century. Still not accustomed to the function of the In-Between, the intern had appeared minutes later. "Boss!" he exclaimed enthusiastically.

Although sudden, the greeting was becoming rather repetitive, so the Grim Reaper was no longer surprised. Still, he took the opportunity to conjure his ever so iconic scythe to hold by his side in order to proclaim his hostility.

"I'm liking the new haircolor, sir. I told you red was a good color, huh?" Minhyuk grinned widely, gesturing towards his own mop of hair a vivid, velvety rouge. "I don't blame you for copying my style."

The Grim Reaper scoffed in response. "You're the one who copied me. I had this same haircolor eras ago,"

His intern scratched the back of his head sheepishly, the action causing bit of sparkles to fall loose from his red locks. "Oh, right. Sorry boss."

There was a moment of silence before the Grim Reaper himself shattered it. "The list, Minhyuk. Give me the list."

"Right, right! Uhm," Minhyuk slipped his hand in the interior pocket of his blazer, retracting with a scroll in his palms. He handed it to his boss with a bow.

"This is the list for today?" the Grim Reaper unrolled the scroll, gawking at the amount of names that had formed on it.

The underling's smile turned into a wince as he went for his outer pockets, pulling out a few shorter ones. "Actually sir, there's more. Just a bit! The death rate in the Mortal Zone increased by 14.97% percent."

The Grim Reaper frowned as he dismissed the urge to slice the other scrolls in his intern's hands with his scythe. "How am I supposed to deal with all of these departed souls within these 24 hours?"

The two contemplated for a moment, and after conjuring a few ideas a smile crept upon Minhyuk's face. "You know, I think I'm capable of more than just fetching scrolls and other intern things... I've been at this job for almost a century, so it's about time I get a bit more experience, I'd like to think."

His boss gave him a hard look. "No," the Grim Reaper replied firmly, snatching the scrolls out of the intern's grip once the flesh properly formed around his skeletal hands.

"Please, boss! Please let me help you!" Minhyuk dove to the floor, landing on his knees as he brought up his clasped hands in fake prayer. He offered his best "puppy dog" look, trembling his lip as his eyes widened.

Heaving a prolonged sigh, the Grim Reaper finally handed over a single scroll. "The scroll only has their names, location, and set time of death, so the rest is up to you to decipher. I'm much too busy to help you or check how you are, but all I can say is that you'll have to be mindful of your surroundings. And remember, blend into The Mortal Zone."

Minhyuk practically leaped onto his feet, shouting in excitement as his signature cheeky grin returned to his face. "Thank you, boss! Thank you so much!"

"Do your job right! Or the name 'Lee Minhyuk' will find its way on the list of those destined to depart," the Grim Reaper huffed.

"With all due respect sir, I'm technically already dead, so I don't think that's possible!" Minhyuk laughed, though the outburst ended rather awkwardly when his boss stared back without any bit of emotion.

"We'll see about that," the statement finally caused Minhyuk's smile to fade, and he watched as the Grim Reaper disappeared from the area.

Unravelling the scroll of his responsibilities, Minhyuk couldn't help but gasp at the long list of people he had to go through. "Oh boy," he sighed to himself, beginning to stride towards the direction of the Mortal Zone.


	2. Streets of Seoul

Rainy and bleak, yet just as ominous as The In-Between, the streets of Seoul were somewhat busy for the morning hour.  
  
Citizens filled the walkways, rushing towards the direction of their destinations as they dodged other passerby.  
  
Without the morning sun, the only source of light were the lamp posts lining the streets, and the illuminations able to seep through stores.  
  
Clad in his new disguise to blend into The Mortal Zone, Minhyuk sauntered down a narrow alleyway and onto a street.   
He had to admit, the black "Supreme" jacket humans called 'hoodies', and dark denim pants they called 'jeans' were much more comfortable than his usual formal attire.  
  
Even his scroll had taken on a different appearance to adjust human eyes ー scrolls were so last century, apparently. The intern found some sort of rectangular electronic device instead, coal colored metal with an endearing cartoon puppy imprinted on the back. The front revealed a screen projecting the list of information digitally, behind a thin layer of glass.  
  
Tapping around aimlessly on the device in hand, Minhyuk realized he didn't have a clue as to how the electronic rectangle worked. He couldn't help but yelp when it vibrated upon displaying a new message, almost dropping the device in the process.

  
  
**I.M:**   
hey! it's i.m from the eternal zone. the boss told me you needed some guidance, so i'll be helping you out with your tasks. ok, so for starters, do you know how to use your phone?

  
  
Minhyuk smiled sheepishly towards the humans casting him odd glances before finally diverting his attention to the message. "Phone?" he spoke aloud, the word foreign on his tongue.  
  
The device vibrated again.  


  
**I.M:**   
oh boy. we've got a long way to go.   
ok! i'll be your "assistant", so if you need help just talk or type me a message. if you need help with locations, the phone has maps with pinpoints that track where your targets are. there are alarms that i've set to go off whenever it's someone's set time of death... and your phone is set to automatically show your list, and messages like these that i send. if you need a visual for one of your targets, then tap on their name in the list. that's all for your tutorial!  hehe. if you wanna reread my stuff, just swipe up at the top of your screen to read my messages.

 

“Okay, fair enough,” the redhead murmured, finally moving from the spot he had been occupying on the street. Glancing down at the screen of his phone, he tapped on the first name that popped up for him. The gesture brought out a display widget that revealed a photo, presumably of the soon-to-be-dead individual that Minhyuk found undeniably attractive, as well as a street map off to one of the screen’s corner with a time written on the opposite side.

 

5:14, exactly four minutes from the current time. At least, that’s what Minhyuk thought, judging from the digits that were shown in a tiny bar at the top of the screen. He pressed on the map, gasping inaudibly when it enlarged to fill the entire screen.

 

Another message from I.M popped up on the screen moments after, though its appearance was rather brief.

 

**I.M:**

your current location is going to be indicated by the blue dot you see on your map. the human who’s going to die is the red dot, so you better get over there before their time of death! Remember, your dot follows along with the way you physically move in your actual surroundings… so does your target! 3 minutes left minnie, get a move on!

 

“I.M’s already given me a nickname? Oh, what am I saying,” Minhyuk focused on the map, noticing the particularly large gap between his dot and his target’s. He was sure that the target wasn’t that far from when the map first loaded, meaning they were already on the move.

 

Panicking with sudden realization, Minhyuk bolted across the street, out running a van that honked at him just before it was able to hit him in the legs. He glanced back momentarily, calling out a quick “sorry!” before continuing his dash. This was his first time on the field, doing something important, and he wasn’t ready to let the Grim Reaper down.

 

As others shifted themselves to the side in order to make way for the red haired boy, Minhyuk eventually slowed down when he noticed the red dot on the map freeze in place. He sighed in relief, taking a huge breath. “Wow, I don’t get to do this much physical activity back in the In-Between _or_ Eternal Zone!”

 

The cellular device vibrated in his hands once again, catching him by surprise once more.

 

**I.M:**

You’re doing great, minnie. AND BY GREAT I MEAN GREAT AT GETTING EVERY HUMAN IN SEOUL’S ATTENTION. check the pocket of your hoodie! There should be earphones there, plug the chord into the hole on the side of your phone so you can listen to me give you instructions instead.

 

“Oh yikes, sorry,” Minhyuk stammered, shoving a hand in the gap of his clothing as told. He retracted the string of technology, managing to get it functioning after a moment. Just as he placed the earbuds into his ear, a deep voice shouted at max volume.

 

“Two minutes!” the voice, presumably belonging to I.M, caused Minhyuk to break out full sprint. There was barely much of a gap between the two dots on map now, and there was no more time to lose.

 

After the most full blown sprint of his life, I.M began yelling into the mic once more. “Here, here! Your target’s on the same street. Close the map, look around, refer to the picture of the human if you need it…”

 

Scanning the sea of people along the street, Minhyuk eventually locates a striking individual who seemed to match the headshot provided. “Found them,” he declared rather enthusiastically, stepping towards them with great caution and anticipation. “Ready or not, here goes nothing…”


	3. Unfortunately...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the long wait! Aside from school, I've been really caught up with the hyunghyuk fic and another upcoming one... You didn't hear this from me, but I'm working on a Monsta X dragon rider AU. ;) This chapter finally features the reader, and it's one step closer to the introduction of the Grim Reaper. That's about it, thank you!

You sighed wearily, tapping your foot upon the surface of the ground as you waited for the streetlight to indicate the crossing. Although it was scarcely past 5am, you were already running late for work.

 

Today was not your day, you concluded as the rain seemed to intensify. The jacket you wore didn’t suffice as a suitable source of protection against the weather, and puddle water was beginning to seep through the lining of your shoes.

 

Wondering if it was even possible for your day to get any worse, you soon found an answer when someone startled you from behind.

 

“Excuse me!” a young man in his early twenties appeared by your side, and you nearly jolted onto the road.

 

Tuffs of his red hair were tucked into the hood of his Supreme hoodie, and he seemed to be using his phone with his earbuds plugged in.

 

“Gee Minhyuk, wasn’t that smooth,” I.M muttered into the mic.

 

“Thanks!” Minhyuk responded. Clearly he was not accustomed to the arts of sarcasm. 

 

You raised an eyebrow in confusion, wondering why the stranger was thanking you. “Did I do something?”

 

The redhead turned back to you, shaking his head rapidly. “Oh no! Sorry, I was just talking to someone I’m on a call with.”

 

He proceeded to ask for your name, to which you were reluctant to give. The man had to give his name first, and even then you were still skeptical about this ‘Minhyuk’ person.

 

Much to your relief, the crossing light finally glowed green. “Listen, Minhyuk. I’m running late for work, so if you don’t mind…”

 

Minhyuk would have continued in pursuit as you shifted away from him, but he was interrupted by a voice through his earbud.

 

“Time’s up, Minnie. For them at least. They have sixty seconds to meet their end, so you better make sure you’ll get their soul for the Eternal Zone,” I.M declared.

“Right, right…” death’s intern mumbled, racing after his target once more. You had already created quite a bit of distance between each other by crossing the road, and you did the best you could to ignore him calling out your name. You couldn’t fathom why the boy was so keen on pursuing you, but you certainly didn’t have time for it.

 

Minhyuk wasn’t sure how you were going to die, but he knew it was going to happen within seconds. He wasn’t exactly happy about the matter, you were his first target and a rather interesting one at that, but a job was a job and he needed to please the Grim Reaper.

 

From what his boss had told him long ago, explained once but never again, the soul of a person would separate from their physical body the moment they lost their life force. Souls tended to wander, and not every mortal was capable of seeing them. So Minhyuk had to grab onto the soul of the departed, swiping them before they could advance anywhere in a spiritual form and escort them to the Eternal Zone.

 

I.M cleared his throat briefly before providing another explanation. “Judging from your given environment, I have a feeling their death will be caused by a vehicle. Wait for the scene to unfold and get their soul right away,” 

 

“Huh? Vehicle? They’re moving on the other side of the road though, so…”

 

“There’s not much time left! It’ll happen unless you do something about it, so just get ready!”

 

Flustered by the assistant’s increase in volume, Minhyuk rushed towards you and seized your wrist.  _ Too early.  _ The redhead didn’t realize what he had done in panic until you jerked yourself away from his grasp, yelping in the process.

 

The action caused you to stumble rightwards, right in the path of the other road on its green light. Letting out another scream, one much louder than before, you squeezed your eyes shut as you tried to brace for any impact.

  
  
Minhyuk's eyes widened as he watched you fall, though his attention darted to the side as he saw an oncoming car driving in your very direction.

  
  
I.M was probably shouting something into the mic, but his voice was upstaged by the rapid honking of the car as the driver attempted to slam their breaks.

  
  
_So this is how they die?_ Guilt blossomed within Minhyuk as he nibbled on his bottom lip. Although it was inevitable, he knew it was still partially his doing.  
  
  
  
It was his job. People died everyday. So why couldn't he bring himself to watch any longer?

  
  
Maybe it was the same guilt that ate at him so suddenly, there was no other explanation as to what brought his legs forward to your direction.

  
  
"Minnie, wait- no! What are you doing?" 

  
  
As I.M continued to tell him off through the mic, Minhyuk lunged for you. Seizing your wrist much like before, he yanked you off of the road just before the vehicle would've slammed into your figure.

  
  
It was hard for the intern to regain his footing after the sudden action, but he managed to drag you along with him to the other side of the crossing. Witnesses of the scene stepped back, allowing him to fall onto the pavement whilst cushioning your fall.

  
  
"Oh. God." I.M was rendered speechless for a moment, much like you and Minhyuk were. The only difference was that the assistant was able to keep talking.

  
  
"Lee Minhyuk, I can't believe you just did that. Oh my god, what are you gonna tell the boss?" death's intern swallowed thickly at the mention of the Grim Reaper. What was he going to say? In fact, what was he going to do?

 

He had just saved his target's life instead of taking it.

  
  
"Okay, wait. Don't tell the boss. I'll tell him, and you, uh, fix this? I don't know if you're going to be able to deal with your other targets if you couldn't handle your first, uhm..." 

  
  
The redhead could practically visualize his assistant scratching the back of his head, face palming, any sort of action to express his attitude towards the current situation. 

  
Even if he had yet to see what I.M looked like to begin with.

  
  
"Deal with the target, Minnie. I'll... I'll let the boss know." With that, I.M disappeared from the call. Only a prolonged beep followed prior to his statement.

  
  
With wide eyes, Minhyuk turned to face you. He didn't realize that the two of you were still on the sidewalk, getting drenched by rain water as other passerby either circled the two of you or fled the scene.

  
  
Doing the first thing your mind told you to, you smacked the redhead's arm. "What was that? I literally almost died!"

 

“Ack! I know, I know, but you didn’t right?” Minhyuk responded as he jerked away from your reach. “Unfortunately…”

 

“Wha- unfortunately?! What do you mean unfortunately? Did you want me to die? Huh?!” at this point you were fuming. This Minhyuk person was truly the cherry on top to your terrible day, and just moments ago he had almost caused you to meet your end. And this was his attitude towards it?   
  


Realizing what he had muttered, Minhyuk’s jaw dropped. “Wait, no! Don’t take that the wrong way! Er, it’s a long story… I don’t really know how to explain it to mortals,”

 

“You know what? I’ve got time for the ‘long story’. Explain it to me so I can understand, or I’ll… I’ll report you!” standing up from your position, you yanked him off of the ground rather forcefully before forcing your way through the tiny crowd with Minhyuk still in tow.

  
“Don’t report me! Whatever that is! I’ll explain it to you somehow, I swear!” he exclaimed, fumbling at your grip as you stormed towards the direction of your work building. 


End file.
